Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
I followed all the networking and other advice you and every other career guru offers.
I've been out of work for over 2 years now. Nobody in my network will return my phone
calls or emails anymore because of course they all have jobs so they can't understand
why I don't. They're tired of hearing about me not having a job. They've asked me not to
give their names as references anymore because they're tired of all the phone calls from
people who end up not hiring me anyway. Without references, I don't have a chance of
finding work.
I have no job, and I'm so demoralized that I don't even have it in me anymore to bother to
look for one. I have no friends left. I spend every moment of every day by myself. I have
nobody to talk to. And oh yeah, I have a truckload of skills, training, and experience
going to waste.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
First, let me state how sorry I am that you are in your current situation. I think
desperation and poor job-search techniques have had a hand in your stretch of unemployment.
There is a fine line between using your network and abusing your network. People
in your network aren't the ones who are going to hire you; networking is based on
the premise that we live in a small world and our network serves as our ears for the
potential job openings. I'm not hiring, but I just heard that Company X is in need of
someone with your qualifications, so I give you a call and let you know about the
opening. Networking is, and probably always will be, the most powerful tool
of job-hunting -- when used correctly.
There is no question you are desperate -- and I feel for you. But you have to
understand that hiring managers do not hire people who are desperate for a job --
any job -- hiring managers want job-seekers who are a good fit and have an interest
in the job and the company.
And I think you are still traumatized -- on some level -- by getting downsized. Just about
everyone gets fired or downsized at some point in their careers, and you need to find
a way to put that behind you and move forward. There is no stigma -- unless you put
one on yourself.
At one point you WERE getting interviews, but I am guessing your desperation or
trauma over being fired was telegraphed to the interviewer -- and that's why you never
received a call back or a job offer.
My best advice? You need counseling. Call your alma mater and speak with a
career professional. If you don't want to do that, see if there is a one-stop career
center in your area. These publicly-funded career centers can help you regain the
confidence you need and rebuild your skills so that you can get a new job and
begin rebuilding your life.
For more advice on networking, go to this section of Quintessential Careers:
The Art of Networking.
Q:
Anonymous writes:
I am bashful, but present a calm exterior to the world that is frequently misinterpreted
as arrogance. I swear, if someone asks me one more time why I'm so quiet I will hurt
somebody. Anyway, because I tend toward reticence and am not "perky" (but by
no means rude or unfriendly), I am consistently turned down for jobs. I cannot
become a perky outgoing person over night nor am I an actress, but I certainly
need to eat. What can I do to increase the likelihood of getting a job?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Job-hunting is always harder for introverts -- from networking to interviewing, so much
of job-hunting is focused on how well you can interact with people and make good
impressions -- skills much better suited for extroverts.
And you’re right, shy people can be easily seen as arrogant. In fact, when I first
met my wife, I was sure I would never have anything to do with her socially because
she appeared to me as someone who was arrogant and superior. Later, of course, I
discovered that she was simply a shy person around people she didn't know.
The best advice I have for you is to find a way to channel some degree of extrovertism
when you really need it, such as in networking and interviewing situations. So much
of job-hunting deals with first impressions, and while you can overcome negative first
impressions with a lot of effort, it makes more sense to try and manage that first
impression. You don't need to be "Ms. Perky," but you do need to appear friendly
and approachable.
You might consider working with a career coach or other professional who can
work with you in developing some simple exercises and running through some
mock interviews so that you become comfortable in these situations.
Finally, I think you need to overcome this issue about being an actress. The
best job-hunters -- the most successful job-hunters -- know how to act in interviews.
Acting is not lying; acting is adjusting your job-hunting to fit the current situation.
Anonymous writes:
Five years ago I went back to work (permanent part-time) after sporadic work
as an advertising media buyer while raising young children. That job lasted five
years -- great hours and great pay, but the bad economy forced me out.
Now I'm finding that trying to find another job like it is very difficult. I'm
wondering if it may be because my resume dates back 23 years and some
people that I am applying to were barely in grade school then. I think that
they may not want to have someone my age work for them. How can I
impress them with my experience but not intimidate them with my age?
I really am not looking for advancement, I just want to do a good job and
go back to my life. Is this a deficit?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Without even seeing a copy of your resume, I can tell you with much
confidence that your problems most likely fall into two areas: your resume and
your attitude.
Let's deal with your resume first. Older job-seekers need to take a refresher
course on resume-writing because I see this problem all too often. First, you
need to remove all job experience from 15 years ago. No one cares what you
were doing 15 (or 20) years ago, and even if it is relevant experience, the job
itself has probably changed dramatically since that time. Next, you need to
remove dates on your education. Remember that a resume is a sales document
designed to get you to the next step -- the job interview; thus, you want your
resume to have all the ingredients (and none of the hindrances) that will get
you that interview.
Moving to your attitude. I have found that seasoned workers often have a certain
air of superiority when interviewing, especially when the interviewer is much
younger. You don't want to necessarily impress the prospective employers
with your YEARS of experience -- that's not important -- you want to impress
them with how your unique combination of skills, education, and experience
(accomplishments) makes you the ideal person for the position.
Job-hunting is about impression management. Fix your resume and then
adjust your interviewing techniques and you should be on your way to getting
some job offers.
Don writes:
I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. and was wondering how I would identify that on
my vita under education. I will not finish my course work until March 2004 and will
have my comprehensive exams completed in the Fall of 2004, followed by the
dissertation. Could you offer any advice on the format?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
In the educational section of your CV, you simply put the dates when you expect
to complete various aspects -- the two most important, of course, are ABD and Ph.D.
Be careful about these dates, because with my experience with Ph.D. programs,
dates can easily change due to workload, political winds, etc. But it's good that
you are thinking ahead and working on your vita.
Ph.D. - Expected completion 2005
ABD - Expected 2004
Major:
Support Area: (if there is one)
University Name
University City, State
Let me conclude with some other general tips for writing resumes and vitas:
Don't lose sight of the purpose of your resume/vita: to get you to the interview.
Always focus on your accomplishments, and quantify those accomplishments
whenever possible.
Use bullets with short descriptions rather than long paragraphs.
When describing work experience the order should always be: job title,
company name, location, and dates of employment.
Avoid all mistakes -- typos and misspellings are the quickest way to kill
your chances.
Include key contact information, especially phone numbers and email
addresses.
Consider multiple versions and multiple formats, including a text version.
Appearances matter, so use normal fonts, average font size (10-11 point),
black ink, conservative paper colors, and decent page margins.
You can find key resume and vita advice, tools, and samples in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Resume and CV Resources.
